Legend of Zelda: Two Sides of a Line
by TieFighterPlt181st
Summary: It is 1940 in Europe and World War II is raging. What happens when Link, a Royal Air Force pilot is shot down over France and is taken into a hospital under the care of a German nurse named Zelda? Read the full summary inside.


My parents always told me not to start something new unless I finished the things preceding. Well here's a testament o how much I've listened. Yes, a new multi-chaptered story when I have three in various stages of completion. For some reason, this is another AU Zelink fic. Like all of my fics so far, it will take some time for the Zelinkness to develop.

Summary:

It is 1940 and Hitler's war machine has completed its blitzkrieg invasion of France and is now poised to invade Britian which is the last stronghold against Hitler. The burden of defending the Home Islands now falls to the pilots of the Royal Air Force. Flight Officer Link is but one of these young pilots, eager to prove his worth and to protect his home. However, during an engagement he is shot down, injured, and taken to a hospital where he encounters a beautiful young nurse by the name of Zelda. (i know this sounds cliche so far, but there is a twist so bear with me here) The only problem with this situation is that Link is in a German hospital in Nazi occupied France and the nurse he meets is the fiance of the German pilot he just killed. What happens when two people who are enemies are thrown together in this manner, is it just coincidence, or will something else happen?

_What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization. Upon it depends our own British life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire. The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us. Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour.'_

**_Luftwaffe Airbase, Arras, France_**

The morning sun broke over the now tranquil fields of France. The early morning mist had dispersed and some of the local farmers were riding out on their wagons to tend to their crops. In one particular cleared area, stood a flagpole flying the scarlet flag of the Nazi regime. Around the flagpole were several hangars made of wood and sheet metal as well as several barracks. There were two packed dirt landing strips and upon the tarmac stood a neat double row of Me-109s where some mechanics were busy making adjustments. Along the side of the airbase walked two people hand in hand, one a dark haired green eyed handsome young man in the flight suit with the insignia of a Lieutenant of the Luftwaffe, and the other a blond haired blue eyed beauty in the starched white uniform dress and cap of a nurse.

"What is it that you wanted to talk to me about Wilhelm?" the nurse inquired looking at the pilot with sparkling eyes. (_A/N Ok, so Wilhelm might not be the best of names but it sounds German alright?) _

"Well we've been seeing each other for almost two years now Zelda. Now with the war going on, who's to say that I'll be alive in two or three years." The young pilot returned, the two stopping and now just looking at each other and talking.

"Yes?" she prompted curious as to where her boyfriend was going with the conversation.

"What I want to say is, Zelda Harkinian, will you marry me?" he proposed pulling out a small velvet box with a diamond ring set into a beautifully engraved gold band, looking at her with pleading eyes.

For a moment Zelda stood there in shock and then she emitted a shriek of joy and threw her arms around her beloved and pulled him into a passionate kiss.

"Oh, of course I will!"

The two held their embrace for a few more moments before Wilhelm reluctantly backed away.

"I have to go now, my squadron is detailed to support today's raid on England." He stated, not as happy as he was just a few seconds ago.

"Of course, just promise that you will come back to me alright?" she said grasping onto his hand tightly.

"I promise, we will plan our wedding when we get back." He said by way of a good-bye before he jogged off towards the lines of Me-109s whose engines were now spitting smoke as the mechanics turned them over and pilots streamed out of the ready shack.

Wilhelm was helped into his cockpit and harness by the crew chief who then lowered the cockpit canopy. Other ground crewmen removed the chocks below the wheels and Wilhelm began easing the throttle forwards causing the Me-109 to roll out of its resting spot. With a parting salute to his crew chief, Wilhelm began taxiing towards the end of the dirt strip runway.

Soon enough, he was roaring down the runway feeling the power of the Me-109's engine as it clawed for altitude. As the plane rushed down the runway Wilhelm caught sight of Zelda who was standing near the edge of the runway looking straight at him, her dress billowing in the wind caused by the speed of his aircraft taking off. He turned in his seat to wave to his now fiancé before turning to rendezvous with the bomber squadrons for that day's mission. Before he flew out of sight he caught the image of her waving back, the sun glinting off the engagement ring which he had just given her and was now resting on her slender ring finger,

_**RAF Fighter Base, Dover, England**_

In the ready shack of the airfield were a multitude of RAF fighter pilots. Some were curled up in chairs around the fireplace trying to snatch a few bits of rest during times when sleep was at a premium. Others clutched steaming cups of tea so that they could settle their stomachs. In the corner at a small rickety table sat four men over a game of poker.

"I'll take two." A dark haired Polish pilot, who had escaped from Poland just before the Germans had conquered his country, stated genially.

"Three's good for me." Muttered a Welshman.

"Just one for me thanks." The third pilot, one with golden hair, named Link stated throwing in one card.

"And the dealer will take two." An older man with a weather beaten face and a Scottish burr remarked.

A few seconds later after having received his new cards, the Welshman snorted in disgust and folded.

"Well then, I shall put in three pounds." The Pole commented throwing in three one pound notes.

"Fine with me, I see your three and raise you fifteen." Link replied with a smile.

"You, my good Flight Officer are bluffing." The Scotsman stated firmly.

"Well then my good Lieutenant, why don't you put your money down and see." Link goaded.

"I will." The Lieutenant replied throwing in the requisite amount of money.

"I too, wish to see Flight Officer Link's hand." The Pole said.

"Well then why don't you gentlemen show first." Link stated while indicating with his hands.

The Pole replied by laying down a four to eight flush.

"Nice hand sir, but I believe mine is better." The Scot laughed laying down a full house of Kings over twos and reaching for the pot.

Just then Link put his left hand over the Lieutenant's and with his right laid down a hand of four queens and an ace.

"Mine, is even better." Link said with his characteristic lopsided grin before scraping the money towards him.

_**Chain Home Station 32, Dover Cliffs**_

Upon the cliffs stood two tall towers of metal girder construction. These were a part of Britain's vaunted radar system which so far had greatly aided the British in defending their Home Islands.

"Captain, activity over the Luftwaffe fields in France." A young private shouted.

The captain, drawn by the call strode over to the screen of the young private and looked for himself.

"You're right, excellent work Private. Lieutenant!" the captain shouted to the radio operator.

"Yes sir?" he replied swiveling around in his chair to face his captain.

"Alert Fighter Command Group 12, incoming raid altitude 30,000 feet, bearing one-one nine." The captain ordered.

The radio man acknowledged and at once turned to his radio and began tapping out the message on the transmitter key which was then encoded and sent to the appropriate receiver.

_**RAF Fighter Base, Dover, England**_

Just then the air-raid siren began to wail and the loudspeaker began blaring.

"Incoming German raid, altitude 30,000, bearing one-one-nine. Number 382 Squadron Scramble." The voice called out.

In the ready room chaos broke loose as men were shaken from their slumber and last gulps of tea were taken before the pilots began sprinting out onto the field.

Link and his compatriots hastily abandoned their card game and joined the rush outside. In seconds, Link was clambering up the ladder to his Spitfire with the help of his crew chief Darunia.

"Now you bring me back my plane this time in tip-top condition you hear?" the elderly mechanic ordered. "That means no holes, or parts missing, not a scratch."

"Come on, it'll be fine, you worry too much Darunia." Link said easily.

"Just bring it back in one piece alright, I can replace you, but I can't replace it." The mechanic shot back with a wan smile before jumping back onto the ground.

In pairs, the RAF fighters rolled forwards and made their way to the runway where they began their take-off runs.

Soon enough, they were joined by Number 487 Squadron which had arrived from the nearby Kentley base to assist.

_**German raiding force over the French coast**_

"So Wilhelm, did you ask her?" Wilhelm's best friend Hans inquired over the radio.

"Yes." He replied still not entirely over the euphoria from moments ago.

"What did she say?" Hans pushed eagerly.

"She said yes." Wilhelm answered.

"That's wonderful. I can see it just now. Five years from now you'll have a nice house in Hamburg, and a little child running around the house." Hans predicted.

"Come on Hans, don't think about that now. Who knows if I'll make it alive through this war to see that day?" Wilhelm stated brought back to the reality of his situation.

"This war will be over soon Wilhelm. The British are on their last strings. They can't have more than two hundred fighters left on the island to oppose us. You heard the radio, their merchant ships are being sunk left and right, and the Americans refuse to come to their aid. We will have this war won by Christmas." Declared Hans triumphantly.

"Perhaps, Hans, but I do not share your optimism." Wilhelm commented before the raid commander reprimanded them for their radio chatter.

_**Nos. 382, 487 Squadrons RAF**_

"Attention, German raiders are now off the coast, twenty degrees off your starboard side, Engage at will." One of the coordinators at far off Fighter Command Headquarters ordered.

"Very well then, break into pairs and begin your attack runs. Flight Officer Link, you're with me," ordered the Scottish Lieutenant who was in command of the British force.

Link tucked his fighter close in and behind that of the Lieutenant and by pairs the British formation banked off to the right screaming in at full speed.

"There they are! Looks like Dornier D-17s, some He-111s , and Me-109s flying cover." Shouted one of the pilots.

The German pilots were not fully aware of the presence of the British interceptors until the first shots had been fired and the first He-111 burst into flames. Then much like angry bees, the German Me-109s moved to head off the British fighters.

Link stayed with the Lieutenant as he fired a burst at a Me-109 that was hot on the tail of one of No. 487 squadrons Hurricanes.

"Alright Link, break off and engage but stay close enough so that we can cover each other." the Scot ordered.

Link acknowledged and dived on the tail end of a formation of D-17s. The tail-gunner on the bomber fired his 7.62 mm machine gun which Link dodged with ease. Closing the range, Link tightened his finger over the trigger and let loose a burst from his six machine guns that punctured the cockpit and sent the medium bomber into a tailspin that ended in a fiery crash into the sea.

Just then Link heard a call for help from the Lieutenant over the radio. Quickly locating him Link steered his fighter towards the location of the Lieutenant. The situation he saw did not please him. Five Me-109s were swarming the Lieutenant in an effort to box him in. Only by a bit of wily maneuvering was the Lieutenant able to avoid anything more than superficial damage to the rear of his fuselage. Link chose a target and began blazing away. The target of his barrage took notice and banked into a tight turn causing Link to swear. The Me-109 had a tighter turning radius than the Spitfire and would win in a turning fight. Instead, Link put the Spitfire into a climb. The Me-109 was close behind sending stinging blasts of machine gun bullets and cannon shells. In a vertical rolling scissors movement, Link suddenly dove which cause the Me-109 because of its heavier weight to overshoot and confusing the pilot momentarily. Taking advantage of the confusion, Link banked and fired, chewing into the wing srut of the German fighter and taking out a large chunk of it causing the German fighter to lose altitude.

Meanwhile, the Lieutenant and Link were being drawn out farther from Britain and closer to France, unable to return to their comrades because of the swarming Me-109s which prevented them from doing so.

Wilhelm grasped the control stick tightly as he struggled to stay with a particularly cunning opponent. He began firing but was cut short when the second Spitfire which had appeared earlier had looped around again and began firing in an effort to help his beleaguered comrade.

"Max, Otto, deal with that second Spitfire, Hans and I will take care of this one." He ordered.

Wilhelm smiled satisfactorily to himself. The Germans had been caught by surprise however the remaining escorts were dealing with the British quite well, keeping them from the bombers which were lumbering on towards their target. His own prey and its compatriot were unfortunate in being forced away from help and towards Nazi occupied territory where German reinforcement could easily arrive.

The first Spitfire skidded wildly as its pilot suddenly changed direction spraying bullets at Hans. Wilhelm changed his vector and triggered a burst form his cannon that tore out a chunk of the Spitfire's tail.

"Link, I've been hit, I can't make it back home, I'm going to have to ditch." The Lieutenant called out over the radio.

"No, you can't!" Link shouted noticing that they had the misfortune now to be flying over Nazi France having been forced further inland by the German fighters

"I can't turn anymore Link, I've got no control." He replied just before a spark caught a leaking fuel line and ignited the Lieutenant's Spitfire.

"Noooo!" Link cried out in anguish.

Suddenly nothing mattered to him as he now fixated his gaze on the Messerschmitt that had fired the shots that had killed the Lieutenant. Opening up his throttle to the maximum allowed he blazed away at maximum range, causing Wilhelm to bank violently in order to avoid Link.

The two were caught up in a violent dogfight and did not know that they were slowly moving closer to the airfield at Arras from which Wilhelm had taken off from earlier.

At the German airfield, the occupants of the base were surprised to hear the drone of airplane engines. The raid was not scheduled to return for another forty minutes many of them muttered to each other. Gradually the drone grew louder and the black specks on the horizon became larger and larger. Soon, the mechanics and guards looked up in wonderment as they saw a Me-109 roar overhead followed by a single RAF Spitfire with three more Me-109s right behind.

Zelda was in the hospital taking inventory of supplies when her curiosity was aroused by the sounds outside. Surely Wilhelm had not returned yet she wondered to herself, knowing that the raid was due back in forty minutes. She stepped out of the hospital building along with several other nurses just in time to see the fighters roar overhead. Within seconds of watching she recognized the first Me-109 as being Wilhelm's, its nose painted in the bright yellow and propeller hub cap in bright red that he had shown her just the other day. Wilhelm's Me-109 dove and banked, the Spitfire following it, oblivious to the three Me-109s behind it.

Link fired once more only to have the German evade, but was caught rudely when he felt the lurch of machine gun rounds striking home. Risking a look back, he saw parts of his tail fin flapping in the wind.

On the ground, the Germans cheered while the Frenchmen nearby watched sullenly.

Luckily for Link, the damage was not nearly as bad as it appeared and so he continued the fight. Wilhelm began a turn as to get behind Link, leaving Link with quick deflection shot that Link took which again missed.

As he was now in the turn, Wilhelm now made the bad decision of looking back to see what Link was doing and nearly ran into a row of trees separating one farm from another, barely pulling up in time to avoid it. When he had settled down again, he had lost sight of the Spitfire.

Zelda watched with worry when it appeared as if Wilhelm was going to crash into the trees but began to breathe a sigh of relief when she saw his narrow escape. The sigh never completely left her lips when from the corner of her eye, she noticed the Spitfire diving as if from nowhere, its wings emitting puffs of smoke, gun muzzles flashing. She saw with horror as the tracers struck Wilhelm's fighter. Wilhelm tried to climb to safety but the Spitfire stuck behind him doggedly pumping even more rounds into the German fighter. Eventually it could take no more and dove into the ground with a great crash and thunder. Zelda stood stunned for a moment, her eyes wide open trying to digest what she had just seen. Then, in utter anguish she fell to her knees and began sobbing uncontrollably.

"I got him for you Lieutenant." Link thought in grim satisfaction after downing the one who had killed the Lieutenant.

However, now the three other Me-109s appeared once more eager to avenge the blood of their comrade. No amount of maneuvering could shake them and Link was progressively boxed in from three sides. Then in the middle of a turn, he saw a burst hit him in the front part of the fuselage. One of the rounds lodged itself into the engine block and the engine ground to a halt. Link struggled with the canopy as to make an effort to bail out, but he was too low to the ground and the Spitfire hit a farm field, skidding to a stop.

Link noticed that he was on the ground now. He tried to unhook his harness but couldn't as his right arm was not functioning as it should. The last thing he remembered was a warm trickle of blood tickling his cheek as it wound its way down from his forehead.

Back at the German airfield Zelda was being help up by two of her fellow nurses.

"I must go to him." She cried.

"No Zelda, do not go." One of them replied holding onto Zelda's arm.

"What if he's still alive?" she screamed hysterically.

"You saw it with your own eyes Zelda, there's no way that he could have survived that crash. If you go now, then you will forever remember him as a barely recognizable corpse. Let your final memory of him be that of when he was alive and with you." The other nurse said trying to comfort the young woman.

"No, I refuse to believe he's dead. He promised he'd come back, he promised!" she wailed.

"I'm sorry Zelda, but you must accept it." The second nursed remarked leading Zelda back into the hospital.

Meanwhile, two scout cars with guards in them were roaring out of the base towards each of the wreckage sites.

At the area where Wilhelm's Me-109 had crashed the soldiers saw exactly what Zelda's comrades had described. Wilhelm's body was burned was burned beyond recognition and the remains of the fighter were heavily charred. Regretfully the soldiers lifted him up onto a tarp and into the back of the car where they covered him.

The other car found something quite different. Link's Spitfire did not suffer the same fate as Wilhelm's Me-109. The physical condition of the fighter was still terrible with parts being strewn behind it for hundreds of feet, the fighter having skidded for quite a ways till it had halted. Two soldiers clambered up onto the remains of the wing and knocked away the remains of the canopy with the butts of their rifles. They noticed Link in the cockpit and were surprised when they felt a weak pulse.

"Captain," one of the guards, a Sergeant, called out.

"Yes, Sergeant?" the captain replied from the ground where he was analyzing some of the wreckage.

"The pilot is alive sir, what shall we do?"

Now, this particular captain was not of a very bloodthirsty type. He accepted the fact that as a soldier he would kill people for his country's sake, but he did not kill when he had to. Clearly this pilot no longer presented a threat so killing him would be useless. Besides, the captain had watched the aerial duel and admired the pluck, courage, and skill of the British pilot who had dared to venture into Nazi airspace against four Me-109s.

"Bring him to the hospital, be easy when you take him out." The captain ordered.

The Sergeant acknowledged and called forth two more men with a stretcher and he along with the other man gently lifted the British pilot out and onto the stretcher.

Moments later, the two scout cars had rejoined and were moving back along the road to the German airfield.

Curious mechanics and guards crowded around the scout cars as the two bodies were taken out, one dead, one alive but barely. The soldiers carrying the British pilot slowly made their way through a crowd of curious onlookers on their way to the hospital, which was a two storied building, the only stone building on the airbase.

"Bring him to the surgery room." The nurse at the front desk ordered. The soldiers complied taking Link up and gently transferring him from stretcher to operating table.

_**14 hours later**_

The surgery was over and now Link lay asleep in a bed in a room on the second floor of the hospital. In the room was a single nurse who had been charged with the care of the patient, Zelda.

She moved around the room listlessly setting down supplies which she had brought in on a cart, cursing fate for having her take care of her fiancé's killer. The doctor had ordered her to take charge of the patient and she could not refuse because it had been a direct order, and although she was not a part of the military, the doctor was and his orders carried binding weight to them. Checking the clipboard at the foot of the bed which contained the doctor's orders, she saw that the doctor had ordered a new IV line for the patient and pulled out the requisite syringe.

Just then, Link began to stir from his slumber.

"Where the bloody hell am I?" he muttered to himself as he blinked his eyes for a few times and finding his vision a bit hazy. He tried to move his right leg but he couldn't and when his eyes refocused a second later he saw why, a giant plaster cast had been fitted around his leg and was being held up via a scaffolding apparatus. His head was throbbing with pain and his chest felt strained. At that moment, he felt a new flare of pain in his left arm and turned to find Zelda standing there with the syringe an the IV line.

"Hey, that hurts." Link complained

"I'm sorry." She replied in her accented English out of courtesy rather than true feeling.

"You speak English?" queried Link.

"Yes, I do." She replied with reserve.

"Can you tell me where I am?" he inquired.

"You are at the hospital located on the Lufwaffe base in Arras France. You were brought here yesterday." Zelda recited mechanically, the last part dredging up the memory which she had no desire to relive.

"Thanks." He muttered. "Got myself into quite the situation, haven't I? Stuck on a Nazi airfield in France, who would have known?" he mumble to himself. Looking up, he noticed the somber look upon the nurse's face which he noted was very beautiful.

"Is something wrong?" he questioned kindly.

The moment Zelda heard this question, she felt a rage boiling up inside of her. How dare this murderer ask if she was alright after he had killed her beloved. She felt an extremely intense desire to cause this particular Englishman harm. Her eyes drifted over to the cart she had wheeled in and the glint of a large scalpel caught her eye. Yes, if she could get it, then she could avenge Wilhelm.

Link saw the malicious glint in Zelda's eyes and was slightly uneasy when she began to edge towards the scalpel which was laying at the tope of the cart where both Link and Zelda could see it. She began to reach out her slender hand for the sharp instrument when the clicking of shoes was heard.

Luckily for him at that particular moment, one of the other nurse's a tall woman with gray hair in a tight bun who had been outside and had overheard the conversation stepped in.

"Zelda, why don't you go take a rest. I can take care of everything from here." The new nurse stated in a firm tone.

Zelda was shaken from her reverie and nodded and mumbled her assent before shuffling out.

"What just happened?" Link asked of the new nurse.

"First of all young man you are in a prisoner in a German hospital, so you shouldn't be asking so many questions. However, I shall humor you this once. The nurse in charge of you is named Zelda. She was the girlfriend of one of the fighter pilots stationed here." The nurse stated as she continued the IV where Zelda had left off.

"And…" Link replied, still not understanding.

"His name was Wilhelm and he and Zelda had been together for almost two years. Before the mission yesterday, he proposed to her and she accepted joyously. He promised her that he would come back and that they would plan their wedding. Unfortunately fate did not take that path. Yesterday's fight brought you and Wilhelm together in a fearsome clash. She watched as you destroyed his plane and was devastated when she knew that he wasn't going to come back." The elderly nurse recounted.

Link was silent during this retelling. He felt bad for the young nurse and guilty for having deprived her of her love.

"I'm sorry." He replied.

"That is the way war is, is it not, young pilot? Well then I must leave now, but I recommend that you rest or else your wounds may not fully heal." The nurse stated as she finished.

"By the way, what's your name?" Link inquired curiously of the stern looking nurse.

"What did I say about the questions, but if you must know it is Impa." She replied as she walked out of the door and shut if behind her.

Well there's the first chapter. Tell me what you think about this so far. All reviews would be appreciated.


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